LAGUNA WOODS, Calif. - Jim Gilchrist can speak nonstop for more than an hour about the flood of illegal immigration that he predicts will bring America to its knees. But he can also talk warmly about his Mexican son-in-law and his half-Mexican "grandbrat."
The distinction is not a complicated one for Gilchrist: His son-in-law is legal, while the immigrants he targets with his all-volunteer civilian border patrol, the Minuteman Project, are not.
That distinction is much less clear for Gilchrist's many vocal critics, who say the Minuteman Project and its supporters are "shot through" with racist ideologues and vigilantes who have polarized the nation with their misguided protests.
Now, nearly a year after he first gained national prominence by leading a 30-day patrol along the Arizona border, Gilchrist, 57, is focusing on reinventing himself as a budding politician, congressional watchdog and lobbyist for immigration reform.
His next step is to lead a protest Wednesday on Capitol Hill against a proposed guest worker program, legislation that is backed by President Bush.http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/breaking_news/13810309.htmFReepers, how do you like this? :evilgrin:
President Bush has denounced the volunteers as vigilantes, as have a number of civil rights groups.